Dear Mr. Buffett,
One year ago this week, an oil train passing through Seattle ran off the tracks underneath the Magnolia Bridge, derailing three of its 100 tank cars carrying Bakken crude oil from North Dakota. Considering that unrefined Bakken crude is highly volatile, we count ourselves lucky to have avoided the catastrophic impacts these tank cars could have brought upon this city.
Today I write to you inviting an action that supports the best interest of Seattle and furthers your legacy as a leader of integrity for your generation. As local and federal policymakers grapple with the increasing risks oil trains pose to our communities, you are faced with a watershed moment. You can use your influence as the largest shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway, which owns not only Burlington...
Lifestyle
Dear Sports Broadcasters at NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, ESPN, ESPN2, The Ocho, ETC,
Why don't you show marching bands performing at halftime during your football broadcast?
Let me break it down for you: According to the NCAA Division 1 Wiki page, there are about 85 team members on an average college football team. In contrast, in some colleges and universities there are four times as many marching band members. I'm not good at math but that's a lot of potential eyes.
You folks show play after play when the ball is on the field. You show the play, you show the replay, you show the replay from the 35 different camera angles you have. But at halftime, you don't show the marching band. Why?
As a parent of a member of the Pride of West Virginia Mountaineer Marching Band, I'm really quite...
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Dear Mario,
I hope no one ever calls you that again. Not the "dear" part, that's fine. The Mario part. Basically, I believe it's high time you officially changed your name to exactly what pretty much everyone desperately wants to call you, or does call you already: Super Nintendo.
I think it's more than fair to say I'm speaking for everyone familiar with the rare comic genius that is Ralph Wiggum of Simpsons fame -- who one day saw a Superintendent with your last name walk through his classroom door, was his normal, highly intelligent self, and coined the name you should've had for years by now: Super Nintendo Chalmers.
It's almost too perfect. It's likely no coincidence that Mario's a character in a handful of Super Nintendo games. But he's still just a character. Who really...
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Dear young athletes,
It is 6:40 a.m. I am sitting at my computer thinking about what to write to you, and I am afraid.
I'm afraid that my words won't be powerful enough. I fear that everything that is in my heart will not find its way out and have an impact on you. I am fearful. I fear the unknown. I fear that all my insecurities and weaknesses will be seen by everyone and that I will be deemed "less-than." But not today. I will no longer allow myself, my voice, to be imprisoned by fear. It was fear that caused me to hide my sexuality from others, but more importantly from myself, and because of that, I almost lost "me."
So I write this letter hoping to inspire you -- to inspire you to be better than me. As a child, I moved through the world listening to others express their...
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Dear Snow White,
Thank you for reaching out to me.
I expect you got wind of my recent open letter to Cinderella, and that's why you got in touch. While I was sorry to hear about your marital troubles, I'm simultaneously honored to be of service to the original Disney princess (and the star of the first ever animated feature film), and of course I'm happy to assist you.
(Also, many thanks for allowing me to do so in this public form of address. As you so aptly pointed out in your letter, perhaps indeed there's something in it that can be of use to others in a similar situation.)
This is my understanding of the situation, Snow White: you are a cheerful, nurturing, positive woman whose extreme naivete has essentially led you down the garden path with a partner who was perhaps...
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Dear fellow Muslims,
You've likely heard the old saying, "You can't wake up someone pretending to be asleep." This thoughtful proverb crossed my mind as I read new atheist Ali Rizvi's letter, which I can only assume is addressed to you and I. I can only assume as much because Rizvi has previously flip-flopped on whether a moderate Islam even exists. To him, ISIS, Taliban, and Al Qaeda represent "real" Islam, and all others are impostors. Hopefully he can clarify his position.
So ignoring his obvious contradiction and confusion for the moment -- here is an honest open letter to, my fellow Muslims, with eight points to consider.
1. The First Straw Man Argument - ISIS Are Not "Real" Muslims
Rizvi begins with a straw man argument, which indicates his level of willingness to engage...
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Dear Parents and Families,
As faith leaders, we have watched with growing concern the debate over vaccinations.
The common good of our nation relies on all of us looking out for one another. We have to remember how our choices impact those around us. Diverse faith traditions, including Christianity, all teach us that the entire body of our nation - the world, for that matter - is sick when all are not cared for. We should do everything in our power to protect the public health.
We have examined the science, talked with medical practitioners, read the reports and statements from the Centers for Disease Control, and come to the conclusion that it is critical for the health of the public that children (and adults when needed) are vaccinated against preventable diseases like the...
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Dear HRC,
I read last week's Washington Post piece claiming that you are trailblazing a "new frontier" by turning your attention to the South, and I'd like to share some thoughts.
I'm a gay man from East Tennessee. I came out at 19, and I started organizing for marriage equality in 2004, when I was 22 and a senior at the University of Tennessee. I met community elders who had been doing the hard work of organizing (and surviving) for generations before me, and I quickly understood that I wasn't a trailblazer. I fit into a larger history of struggle, and I stood on the shoulders of those who'd come before me. We reached out to your organization for support for the work we were doing, but no one so much as returned a phone call until we had national media for an event.
Welcome to...
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Dear Emmett C. Burns, Jr.,
I find it inconceivable that you are an elected official of the United States government. Your vitriolic hatred and bigotry make me ashamed and disgusted to think that you are in any way responsible for shaping policy at any level. The views you espouse neglect to consider several fundamental key points, which I will outline in great detail:
1. As I suspect you have not read the Constitution, I would like to remind you that the very first amendment in this founding document deals with the freedom of speech, particularly the abridgment of said freedom. By using your position as an elected official (when referring to your constituents in order to implicitly threaten the Ravens organization) to argue that the Ravens should silence Brendon Ayanbadejo from...
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Dear Pope Francis,
As a Cradle Catholic and feminist theologian, the most impactful moment in my faith was the day you were elected pope. I was touched by your humility and commitment to social justice. And although I have struggled with my feminist Catholic identity over the years, your leadership has drawn me back in. For the first time in my life, I saw in you a leader who truly represents the mission of Jesus, a leader who validates my belief in Catholic social teaching and the full humanity of every person.
Nonetheless, throughout your papacy I have waited patiently for your wisdom to impact my life as a Catholic woman. While you have acknowledged many issues that exist in our world leading to oppression, it seems that you do not recognize their interconnection with gender-...
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